PRESENTS
CREATIVE DESIGN LABS
Workshops • Game Jams • Consultation
Turn play into insight, build ideas with intention, and approach design like a creator..
WORKSHOPS
Delivered Online or on location
GAME DESIGN LAB
Game Design Lab is a focused, hands-on workshop where participants learn how games are built by looking at real examples, breaking down core ideas, and applying those insights through guided exercises.
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Explore how games evolved
A fast journey through the history of games, showing the ideas and breakthroughs that shaped modern design.
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Break down real games
We study popular titles to understand why they work, looking closely at goals, challenges, rewards, and how worldbuilding come together to make a memorable game.
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Hands-on design exercises
Simple, guided activities where participants break down the mechanics of real games and apply the same thinking to their own ideas. They learn to spot design choices, understand why they matter, and express their reasoning clearly.
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Apply what you have learned
Each participant leaves with a clearer understanding of how designers approach systems, challenges, and player experience, and how they can do the same in their own creative work.
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Custom Workshops & Talks
We also offer special sessions on:
Combat design
AI in games and behaviour systems
Designing challenges and encounters
Narrative approaches and worldbuilding
Custom sessions designed around your needs
Learning to think
Leave With a Game Plan
By the end of the workshop, each student will gain practical tips on presenting with confidence and thinking creatively when tackling design challenges.
GAME JAM
A weekend to create, experiment, and build something playable together
How It Works
Our Game Jam is a weekend event where small teams build a playable prototype from scratch. We set a shared theme, guide the structure, and support teams with creative direction as they experiment and build their ideas.
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A shared theme to build around
We open with a theme designed to spark ideas and focus creativity. Themes and goals can be adapted to the purpose of the session, whether it’s for students learning fundamentals or a creative group exploring new ideas.
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Small teams, big ideas
Participants form teams, generate concepts quickly, and begin building. The goal is not to create a polished product, but to explore ideas, test mechanics, and learn to collaborate like a real development team.
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On-the-ground support
Throughout the weekend, we check in with each group, review progress, answer questions, and offer practical notes and tips.Teams get support on design decisions, mechanics, scope management, and how to keep the experience playable.
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Play, iterate, improve
Teams have opportunities to playtest each other’s builds, make adjustments, and learn how feedback shapes better design.
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Closing showcase
The jam ends with a relaxed presentation where each team introduces their concept and everyone plays each other’s game.This is about celebrating ideas, learning from each other, and seeing how different teams approached the same theme.
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What Participants Learn
How to work as a small development team
How to translate ideas into playable systems
How to scope and plan quickly
How to take feedback and improve
How themes drive creative decisions
Delivery Options
Online (Discord)
We create a full event server, host sessions, provide a theme, and support teams throughout.
On location
We can host a jam at your school, university, or creative space, including opening talk, reviews, and closing showcase.
CONSULTATION
Clear, practical feedback for games in development
What We Offer
Our consultation service gives developers focused insight into their work, whether they need a structured playtest, a design conversation, or help identifying what to improve. Sessions can be carried out online or on location, depending on needs and availability.
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Playtesting & Analysis
We play your game, explore its systems, and look at how the player experience holds together. You receive a clear report covering what works, what does not, and where improvements can be made.
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Three-Point Feedback Report
Every consultation includes a concise breakdown of:
Three things that are working well
Three areas that need improvement
Suggested design changes or refinements
This keeps feedback honest, focused, and immediately actionable.
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Design Calls & One-to-One Sessions
If you prefer a conversation over a full playtest, we offer direct calls to discuss design direction, systems, combat feel, AI, narrative structure, player flow, and more.
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Mock Reviews
We also provide mock reviews written by someone with 7+ years of experience reviewing games, offering an external perspective on tone, clarity, player expectations, and overall reception. These are scored, giving you an estimate as to where you might land on release.
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Specialist Insight
Consultations can focus on:
Combat design
Encounter balance
AI behaviour and feedback
Player progression and difficulty curves
Systems design
Presentation and player readability
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Who It’s For
Game studios
Indie teams
Student groups
Solo developers
Institutions seeking external feedback
WHY ARCADE ACADEMY
Personal, practical, and built around your goals.
What We Offer
Arcade Academy was created by people who love games and want to help others understand how they’re made.Every workshop, jam, and consultation is personal, built around your goals, and delivered by designers who stay close to the work rather than passing it through layers of teams.
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We work directly with you
You speak with the people who design and deliver the experience. No hand-offs, no “project pipelines”, just direct collaboration.
Tailored around your goals
Flexible formats for online or on location
Designed for your context and level
Clear structure, open conversation, and honest feedback
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Built from real design experience
Our sessions are led by designers with hands-on industry experience, including shipped projects, prototype development, and years of reviewing games. Everything we teach is rooted in how studios actually work.
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We care about the future of games
Games are still young, and every new voice matters.
We want to help more people understand design, express ideas, and build the confidence to make something of their own.
Encourage creative thinking
Support new ideas and perspectives
Turn play into something meaningful
Help teams grow their design language
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Our values
People first
Clarity over complexity
Design with purpose
Respect for our medium
Industry-Proven Expertise
Meet Your Mentor
Arcade Academy is proud to have a seasoned mentor leading its programmes, a game designer and former journalist with over 10 years of experience in the video game industry.They’ve worked on and fedback on titles for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, contributing to games played by millions around the world, and have been involved in every stage of development from early concept to final polish.They’ve also shared these insights through guest lectures at universities such as Westminster, Nottingham, and UCLan, and now bring that expertise to help young creatives understand what makes games truly work.Because at its core, this isn’t just about video games, it’s about empowering learners to solve problems, tell compelling stories, and think like designers.
Testimonials
"Haris Iqbal's talk was a dynamic journey through the heart of Games. By the session’s end, the students had collected more than just insights, they had a roadmap for action." - University of Westminister
"Your presentation was spot on, and really helpful for the students. They all also benefitted a great deal from the time you spent with each of them looking at their work." - Futureworks
Ready to book?
GET IN TOUCH
For consultations, Workshops or Game Jams. Please get in touch and we will reply as soon as possible.
In your query please mention:
Which service you’re interested in
Preferred dates and format (online or on location)
Number of participants (workshops or game jams)
Any themes or goals you have in mind
Links to builds or documents (for consultations)
Your organisation name (if booking on behalf of one)
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